1.Brief introduction to Witold Lutosławski
Polish composer Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994) was one of the most outstanding composers and conductors of the 20th - century and one of the preeminent Polish musicians during the last three decades.1[Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Lutos%C5%82awski]
He began learning piano at the age of 6, with Helena Hoffman then with Józef Smidowicz after 1924. Later he took violin classes in 1926, private lessons in theory and composition with Witold Maliszewski began in 1928. He also studied mathematics from 1931 to 1933 at the University of Warsaw. After graduating in 1932, he continued in Maliszewski 's composition class at the Conservatory, and studied piano with Jerzy Lefeld, receiving diplomas in piano performance in 1936 and in composition in 1937. 2 [“Artists in the music category” form the source: Polish Music Information Center, Polish Composers ' Union, November 2001
, http://culture.pl/en/artist/witold-lutoslawski]
Lutoslawski earned a number of international awards and prizes during his career. His compositions (of which he was a notable conductor) include four symphonies, a Concerto for Orchestra, a string quartet, instrumental works, concertos, and orchestral song cycles.3[Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Lutos%C5%82awski]
Throughout his life, Lutoslawski influenced a large number of contemporary musicians, such as Olivier Messiaen, one of the major French composers of the 20th century once
When looking throughout the history of music, there is no name with a larger impact than Bach. Writing over 200 pieces throughout his 65 year life. Many people know the names of Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms; but only a select few know the specifics about these land mark composers. “Most would say that Beethoven should have been named called ocean instead of brook” Bach in German. During this papers I will be giving a brief look into the life of one of the most prolific composer that ever lived.
Three years later in 1866 he and his family had moved to Moscow with a professorship of harmony at a new conservatory. Even by this time very little of his music had pleased the conservative musical establishment or the more nationalist group. It was not until 1868 when his 1st Symphony had a good public reception when heard in Moscow.
Frédéric Chopin was a Polish composer and piano virtuoso. Most of his music was written for solo piano, although he has some works for piano concerto and chamber music. Chopin often composed using improvisation. Chopin refined the concept of the “nocturne” and introduced the world to Polish folk music. Composers such as Rachmaninoff, and Brahms, among others were influenced by Chopin.
The famed Czech composer, Antonin Dvorak, was born in a Bohemian village of Czechoslovakia on September 8th, 1841 (Carlson & Smith, 154). After several years of living and learning music in his home village, eventually Dvorak moved to Prague at the age of 16 to continue his education in music. Pursuing his studies diligently, and after working various odd jobs, he eventually became a professor of music at the Prague Conservatory (Pogue & Speck, 64). While in Prague, he married his lovely wife Anna Cermakova in the November of 1873, and was happily married for the rest of his life to her (Encyclopedia Britannica). Performing all over Prague, eventually Dvorak’s incredible work was discovered by the famed composer Johannes Brahms, who recommended Dvorak to Brahms’ publisher Simrock. Simrock took to liking Dvorak’s works so much, that he agreed to publish works like the Moravian Duets in 1876, and the Slavonic Dances in 1878. These works
His parents saw his talent in music, and they sent him to live with his uncle at the nearby small town of Zlonice in 1853 when he was twelve years old, where he could continue to learn German, essential in Bohemia at that time. There, he could also continue to learn music. As a consequence, his musical education continued to grow under the guidance of the church choirmaster Joseph Toman and by the Kantor Antonín Liehmann, who was the principal of his school. Antonín Liehmann taught him violin, piano, organ, figured bass, and music theory. Three years later, in 1856, Dvořák continued the study of organ and music theory with Franz Hanke while he attended the German municipal school in the
Born Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich on the 25th September, 1906, in St. Petersburg, Russia, the composer began his descent into classical music at the age of 9, before later moving on to study at the Petrograd conservatory. Throughout his life he compiled 15 symphonies, 15 string quartets and 36 film scores as well as many other compositions. Within his musical work and the course of his career Shostakovich managed to both adhere to traditions set within classical music as well as dissent from them, I will be exploring these.
Igor Stravinsky was third of a family of four boys. He grew up hearing his father practicing his opera and attending local ballets. He also started taking piano lessons when he was 9 years old and continued on with musical notation and composition instruction. All throughout his early life he studied music. However, although he had been brought
Dmitri Shostakovich was born in 1906 and showed an aptitude for music at a young age. In 1919, he enrolled in the Petrograd Conservatory where his abilities mesmerized the head of the institution, Alexander Glazunov. Shostakovich was never politically naïve; he imitated his parent’s ideals who initially
Leonard Bernstein is not only one of the greatest composers in America, but also one of the greatest conductors in the world. Bernstein conducted great music, composed great music, and also performed music as a pianist. According to the New York Times, he was “one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history.” Born and educated in the United States, Bernstein was the first American to obtain a worldwide acclaim. He is perhaps most known for his film score in the West Side Story production.
Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as he was more commonly known, is one of the most influential composers to ever live. His incredible success during the Classical Period has brought him lots of attention from everyone from classical music listeners to classical music scholars and performers.
He studied from the Harvard University and also joined the orchestra concerts in Boston as a result of which he was shaped as an artist and thinker which helped him in composing music. He was dedicated towards music and gained success in his path. He received two degrees from Harvard University and now lived in San Francisco Area of the Northern California, where he taught music for ten years and became a real Symphony composer; he became popular for “New and Unusual Music” which includes the Harmonium, Grand Pianola Music, Harmonielehre, My Father Knew Charles Ives, and Absolute Jest.
Jacob’s Church. At the age of sixteen, Dvorak was sent off again, this time to the Organ School in Prague, which in 1890 was absorbed into the Prague Conservatory of Music.
Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky is one of the most famous Russian composers. He was born in Votkinsk on May 7, 1840 into a middle class family. His family greatly supported his musical interests. They gave him piano lessons and provided him with the instruction of music theory. Their move to St. Petersburg proved to be a significant milestone is Tchaikovsky’s life. It had set the course for Tchaikovsky's progress and success in the musical world.
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was one of the greatest composers of Soviet Russia. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is regarded today as the father of Western music. They came from opposite ends of music history and lived in entirely different environments, but Shostakovich was undoubtedly influenced by Bach’s music, and their respective musical styles came from the same core tradition of Western music. But most importantly, underneath the obvious differences and the subtle similarities, these composers shared the same artistic spirit.
In the course of the development of music, many great composers have contributed their brilliance towards the revolution of music. To be a great composer does not necessarily mean that they have reached a vast amount of fame. However, it means that their compositions have ingenuity and value. The melodies they have cleverly created have reached a point of worthiness in the world of music. For it is the sweet harmonies a composer creates that defines who he is. One of these gifted composers was Frederic Chopin, born on February 22, 1810 in Zelazowa Wola, Poland. Young Chopin was already composing by the age of eight and as his musical career developed he became known as a master of piano composition. Although he was often misunderstood